Everything Happens for a Reason
by golllly18
Summary: Someone from Ty's past comes to Heartland.
1. Chapter 1

"Yes. I'm just heading into the trailer now. I'll be at the ranch within the hour," said Ty as he stepped foot in his trailer. He scrambled to brush his teeth and put on a clean shirt. He took a quick look in the mirror and then grabbed his wallet and keys as he headed out the door towards his motorcycle.

Ty let out a yawn as he opened the door to the Heartland house. He took off his boots and walked into the dining room. "Hey. Sorry I'm late. Cass came late for her shift. Apparently she has better things to do." Ty sat down in the chair next to Amy. "Caleb?" asked Amy with a smile. Ty scooped some scrambled eggs and put it on his plate. "Yup."

"So, Ty, how is everything going at the clinic?" asked Jack. "Uh it's going well. The same really," replied Ty as Amy placed two slices of toast on his plate.

"Where's Dad? He was supposed to come by for breakfast," said Lou. "Probably somewhere cooking up some crazy plan that he'll somehow rope me into," replied Jack. The family laughed. "He called and said he had made plans with Casey," said Lisa.

Ty felt his pocket begin to vibrate. "Sorry. It might be Scott." Ty slid his phone out of his pocket, but it wasn't who he was expecting. A look of confusion was plastered on his face as he felt unsure of whether he wanted to answer the phone. "Are you gonna get it?" asked Jack. Ty looked up to the family staring at him. "Hmm. Uh. No. It's not important." Ty put his phone away, but could feel Amy glance at him with concern.

"Hey Ty," said Georgie as she walked into the barn. "Hey Georgie," responded Ty with a smile. "What are you doing?" "I'm just checking on Harley." Ty walked out of Harley's stall and locked the door behind him. "Do you want to go for a ride with me?" asked Georgie. "I'm actually heading out. Maybe next time." "Okay." Ty was about to leave but stopped himself. "How are you doing Georgie?" Georgie picked up the broom that was the leaning on the wall. "I'm okay. I guess. I'm tired of talking about Lou and Peter though." Ty nodded. "I get it. Well I'm gonna head out. See ya." "Bye," responded Georgie with a wave.

"Were you gonna leave without saying goodbye," said Amy with a smile as she walked up to Ty. Ty laughed. "Sorry. I'm just so tired." "It's okay." Amy leaned in to kiss Ty. "Ty. Is everything okay?" asked Amy after they parted. "Yeah. Why?" Amy raised her eyebrows. "C'mon Ty." Ty sighed. He had hoped that Amy had forgotten about the phone call. He was just too tired to explain everything. "It was my aunt. My mom's sister. We haven't talked in years, so I was just confused about why she was calling me. That's all." Ty could feel Amy looking deep into his eyes waiting for a better explanation. "Look Amy. I don't know why she called, and right now I just want to get some sleep. I'll call her back later and I'll let you know what's going on." Amy nodded. "Okay. Get some sleep." "I'll call you later," said Ty as he gave Amy a kiss on the cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

_A 15-year-old Ty awoke to the sound of a banging at the front door. He pulled the covers over his face hoping that his mom would get the door. He did not want to get up before noon during his summer break. He heard the knock again. "Mom! Someone's at the door," he yelled. He closed his eyes again, but the banging continued. He growled as he removed the blanket and got out of bed. "I'm coming." Ty slowly walked down the stairs toward the front door. He let out a yawn as he unlocked the door and turned the doorknob. Ty opened the door to his 7-year-old cousin. "Hey James," said Ty looking surprised. "Hi Ty," replied James shyly. "How did you get here?" asked Ty. "Mommy," said James pointing at a car on the side of the road. Ty looked at his mom's sister sitting in the car talking on the phone. Ty watched as she got out of the car. "Ty can you watch James for the day?" asked his aunt after she moved the phone away from her ear. "Again?" asked Ty. It was the third time this week. "Yeah I have a work meeting and then I have to take Ellie to a dance recital." Ty nodded. "Of course. We always have fun." "Great. I'll pick him up later tonight. Thanks." She opened the car door. "Have fun James." "Bye Mom," said James looking sad. Ty waited until his aunt had driven off and then ushered James into the house. "What's wrong buddy?" "I miss mommy. She's always working or with Ellie." Ty had been noticing that his aunt had been spending a lot of time at work, and whatever free time she had she spent with her daughter. But Ty had figured that Ellie just had a busier schedule than James. "It's okay bud. We can have our own fun." James sighed. "Okay."_

Ty poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table in his trailer. He took out his phone and debated whether or not to call his aunt back. After sleeping on it he still was unsure if he wanted some crazy drama from his past in his life right now.

He put his phone down and got up to get ready for work. As he was buttoning his shirt he heard the phone buzzing on the table. He walked over and saw that it was his aunt again. He decided to pick it up.

"Hello." "Ty! How are you?" He had never been close to his aunt, so most conversations between them tended to be impersonal and awkward. "Um. I'm good. You?" "I'm doing well. Your mom tells me you're in vet school at the University of Calgary." Ty was surprised that his mom still kept in touch with her sister. "Yeah I am." "Well your cousin James just graduated high school and he's going there in the fall." "Wow it's been that long." "Yeah… look I know it's been a while but I need to ask you a favor." "Okay." "So the truth is I can't afford to pay for James to live on campus and he can't stay here, so I was wondering if he could stay with you. Just until he has enough money to afford his own place."

Ty didn't know how to respond. He had no problem with his cousin James, but they had not spoken since he had gone to jail. Plus he wasn't sure if another person living in the trailer was reasonable. Especially since the trailer was his and Amy's get away. But at the same time James was family, and if being at Heartland taught him anything it was that you do anything for family. "Ty you still there?" "Uh yeah. Let me just talk it over with Amy, and I'll let you know soon." "Amy...oh yes your mom mentioned her. Of course. I'll talk to you later. Bye." "Bye," replied Ty as he hung up the phone. Ty knew Amy would be okay with it, but he needed an excuse so he could have more time to make a decision.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what do you think?" asked Ty as he sat in his recliner across from Amy. "I think…," said Amy as she put down her cup of hot coco on the table. "That you already know what the right thing to do is."

Ty nodded. "Yeah." Ty pulled out his phone to call his aunt. He wanted to call her now in front of Amy because he knew if he waited till later he might second guess himself.

"Hello," said the voice on the other end. "Hi it's Ty," replied Ty. "Ty! Have you made a decision?" "Um…yes." He looked at Amy who nodded at him with a smile to assure him that he made the right decision. "James can stay with me," said Ty. "Really? Thank you Ty. You have no idea how much you are helping me." "No problem. When will he be moving in?" "Well I was hoping he could get settled in soon, so he would have enough time to get comfortable before classes start." "Okay. He can come down whenever." "Thank you again Ty." "Yeah. Bye." Ty ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

"I'm proud of you," said Amy. "Thanks," said Ty as he let out a sigh. He let his head fall back as he looked at the ceiling. He could hear Amy's footsteps as she walked towards him and sat down in his lap. "Hey," said Amy. "Hey," replied Ty with a smile. "What's wrong?" Ty had always had trouble trying to figure out how to express how he was feeling, but it had slowly gotten easier with Amy. "It's just…well you know how I feel about my life before Heartland. I hate having to bring anything or anyone from my past here. I feel like it's a curse that's gonna ruin everything good in my life. I just want to let it go. But every time I feel like I'm ready to move on…it comes back again."

Amy gently caressed Ty's cheek with the back of her hand. "Ty your past is a part of you. It will always be a part of you. And I'm glad because it helped make the man that I love." Ty still wasn't convinced that something bad wasn't going to happen when his cousin got here. "But Ty you have changed a lot since you came to Heartland. You are not the same person you were before. So those demons from your past can't hurt you the way they used to." Amy softly kissed Ty's forehead. "Plus now you have me, and I promise we'll deal with whatever happens together. Okay?" Ty smiled. "Okay." He leaned in and gently kissed Amy on the lips.

"You know it's kind of weird that James's mom is letting him stay with me," said Ty staring off into space. "What do you mean?" Ty looked at Amy debating whether or not he wanted to explain everything right now. "Nothing. I'll tell you later. Right now I want to make the most of our alone time in the trailer." "What do you have in mind?" asked Amy.

Ty got up from the chair and lead Amy over to his bed. He laid down on the bed. "Come here." Amy followed Ty's lead and positioned herself comfortably next to Ty allowing her head to rest on his chest. She smiled as she heard the sound of Ty's heart beating and felt his arms wrapped around her. They lay like that in silence for a while. "Yeah I'm definitely gonna miss this. Maybe you should call your aunt back…" Ty laughed. "Don't tempt me."


	4. Chapter 4

Ty walked into the Heartland kitchen and searched around for the Patriarch of the family. Ty poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the table. He was anxious about his cousin's arrival and had wanted some advice or reassurance that he would be okay. Ever since he had come to Heartland Jack had become like a father to him and had never failed to help him through any situation.

"Hey Ty," said Lou as she entered the kitchen with Katie walking behind her. "Hey," responded Ty with a smile. "What's up?" "Nothing. I'm actually here looking for Jack. Is he around?" "I think he went to town today, but he'll be back soon," said Lou as she placed a pot on the stove. Ty nodded. "Will you be joining us for dinner today?" "Um no actually. I have some stuff to do." Lou turned around and looked at a distracted Ty. "Amy told me your cousin's coming to town." Ty sighed. "Yeah." "Let me guess. That's not a good thing." Ty smiled. "How did you know?" Lou laughed. "Nothing from your past ever is." "You can say that again." "I'm sure everything will be okay. You're certainly not the same person you were back then." Ty nodded. "Hey Ty can you watch Katie while I head out to the barn. It'll just be 5 minutes." "Of course."

Ty looked down at Katie, scooped her into his arms, and placed her on his lap. "How's little Katie doing today?" "I'm not little Uncle Ty. I'm a big girl now." "Oh yeah I forgot. You're 20 now. Right?" Katie giggled. "You're funny Uncle Ty." Ty smiled and gently placed her on the ground again. Ty watched as she played with the blocks on the kitchen floor.

_Ty placed a bowl of chips on the ground and sat down next to Jamie. "What are you building?" Jamie pointed at the wooden plane on the box. "Cool. Can I help?" "Umhm," murmured Jamie as he took a chip from the bowl and ate it. "Okay let's see. Can you hand me that piece?" said Ty pointing towards a piece of the toy plane on the ground. Jamie picked up the piece and put it in Ty's hand. "I can't wait to go home and show mom this. Can I keep it when we're done building it?" "Yeah of course buddy." All of a sudden the house phone started to ring. "I'll be right back Jamie." Ty got up and walked over to the phone. "Hello." "Ty. How's Jamie?" "Oh. Hi Aunty. He's good." "Good. I might actually have to pick him up in the morning." Ty glanced at Jamie knowing how excited he was to go home. "Um well I have plans with my friends tonight…" "I would come but Ellie's tired and I don't really have the energy to drive over there right now. Can I pick him up tomorrow after work? Maybe your mom can watch him while you're out." Ty hated seeing Jamie disappointed. "Okay." "Awesome. Thank you Ty. And tell your mom thanks as well." Ty hung up the phone and prepared himself to see his little cousin disappointed yet again. _

Ty looked up when he heard Lou's footsteps as she entered the kitchen. "Thanks for watching her Ty." "No problem." Ty stood up and pushed his chair in. "I'm gonna get going. I'll talk to Jack later." Lou nodded. "See you later." Ty put his glass in the sink and walked towards the door. "Ty." He turned around. "We're your family too now. No matter what. So if you need anything. Don't hesitate to ask. Okay?" Ty smiled. "Okay."


	5. Chapter 5

Ty was setting up the trailer for his cousin's arrival. He had borrowed some sheets and blankets from Heartland and was placing it nicely on the couch outside when he heard the familiar sound of Jack's truck. Ty knew that if anything was going to make him feel better, it was Amy.

"Hey," said Ty. "Hey," responded Amy as she walked up to him. He leaned in to kiss her. "You getting ready for tomorrow?" asked Amy. Ty nodded. Amy was about to sit on the couch but Ty stopped her. "Don't sit there I just finished setting it up for Jamie." Amy laughed. "Okay. Am I allowed to sit next to the fire pit?" "Very funny," said Ty. "Come sit with me." "I still have to sweep the porch." Amy gently took Ty's hand. "C'mon Ty." Ty followed Amy and sat down on the wooden chairs. "It's a nice night." Ty nodded. "I'm gonna go get some firewood."

A few minutes later Ty had started the fire and was distractedly poking at it with a stick to keep it going. "Hey you," said Amy. "Hmm" "What's going on Ty?" Ty looked up from the fire and stared into Amy's beautiful blue eyes. "I don't know. I guess. I'm just worried." "About what?" "My aunt. She… well we've never really gotten along." Ty knew Amy was waiting patiently for him to tell her what was bothering him, but he hated burdening Amy with things that didn't really matter anymore. "Talk to me Ty." Ty took a deep breath. "My aunt hated my dad even before he left. She blamed him for everything that was wrong with our family. One day she came over after my mom had told her about another one of their arguments. All I remember from that day is all the screaming and yelling and just feeling really scared." "That's awful Ty." Ty nodded. "Yeah well our family was never the same after that day cause the next day he was gone. I remember blaming my aunt for the longest time for my dad leaving. A part of me still does. After my dad left my aunt never said it but she saw my dad in me and treated me like I was going to become him." Ty put the stick down and got up to place some more wood in the fire. "So I guess ever since then we've never really gotten along, but then again that's just the way my family works," said Ty as he sat back down. Amy placed her hand on Ty's. "Hey. That's in the past. You are not your dad, and you never will be. Everything is going to be okay. Okay?" Ty nodded. "Okay." Ty felt like he could argue with her, but was too tired to get into it. "I get why you're worried about your aunt, but why are you so nervous about seeing Jamie?"

Ty was about to speak but just then they saw headlights turning into the driveway. Ty turned around and saw Cassandra coming out of her sedan. "Hey guys," said Cassandra as she walked up to them. "Hey Cass," replied Ty. Amy smiled in return. "What's up?" asked Ty. "Well I have some of my old textbooks and I thought you'd want them." "Yeah of course," replied Ty. "Good. They are taking up way to much space in my apartment." Ty smiled. "You should've called I would've come by to pick it up from your apartment." "I know but I was in the area and decided to just get rid of the junk. They're in the car. Do you mind getting them?" "Oh no of course. I'll go put them in the trailer."

"Thanks for bringing those over for Ty," said Amy as they stood there awkwardly waiting for Ty. Neither girls had ever been fond of each other. The only thing they had in common was Ty. "Yeah. Well I know he's been down cause his cousins coming." "He told you about that?" "We are friends you know." "Of course. It's just he's a really closed off person." "Yeah well when you work together as much as we do you kind of have to talk. And small talk only goes so far." Amy nodded.

"Thanks so much Cass," said Ty as he walked back to the girls. "No problem." "Are you sure you don't want me to pay you?" asked Ty. "No. But I wouldn't mind you taking my night and weekend shifts for the next week." Ty laughed. "I'll do you one better. I'll take your shifts for the next two weeks." "Seriously? You're the best," said Cass excitedly. Ty smiled. "Okay I'll see you guys later," said Cass. "Yeah see you later," replied Ty.

"Well that was nice of her," said Amy. "Yeah," replied Ty. "So you have work in the morning and I'm tired so I'm gonna get going." "Are you sure?" "Yeah. Besides you seem to be feeling better." "Yeah, but you should stay. I mean at least until the fire dies out." Amy leaned in to kiss Ty. "You know you have a habit of worrying too much. It's cute…but you worrying makes me worry. So stop worrying. Okay? " Ty smiled. "Okay. I love you." "Love you too."


	6. Chapter 6

"Scott is it okay if I leave early today?" asked Ty as he finished up the last of the paperwork for the day. "Sure. Is everything okay?" "Yeah. My cousin is coming down form Vancouver, so I just want to make sure I get there before he does." "Is that a good or bad thing?" asked Scott knowing Ty's track record with his family. Ty laughed. "We'll see." Scott nodded. "Good luck." "Thanks," said Ty as he walked out the door.

Ty got in his truck and checked his phone for any messages before he left. He saw that he had a voicemail from his aunt. "Hey Ty. You must be at work. James just left, and a taxi is gonna bring him to your place. So you don't have to worry about picking him up from the airport. Thanks again for doing this." It was no surprise to Ty that his aunt had not accompanied Jamie to Hudson. Ty put down his phone and turned the key.

_16-year-old Ty opened the door to an 8-year-old Jamie. "Hey buddy. Come on in," said Ty. "Hey," replied Jamie as he walked past Ty into the kitchen. Ty sighed. It almost felt like routine at this point. Jamie would get dropped off and then Ty would have to be the one to disappoint Jamie by telling him that his mom wasn't coming to pick him up until the next day. Jamie sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out his homework. Ty walked over to Jamie and noticed him holding his fist in pain. "What happened to your hand?" asked Ty curiously. Jamie hesitated before answering. "Oh. Um nothing. I um… accidently shut the car door on it." "Really?" "Yeah. Really." Ty pondered whether or not to push Jamie to tell him more. "Okay. You would tell me if something was wrong right?" asked Ty. "Yeah." Ty was about to say something when he heard a knock at the door. He went over to open it. "Hey Claire," said Ty with a smile. "Hey, are we still studying tonight," replied Claire. "Um. Yeah. Come in." Claire followed Ty into the kitchen. "Jamie this is my girlfriend Claire." Jamie nodded, but continued to do his work. "Hey Jamie," said Claire with a smile. Ty waited for Jamie to respond. "Um Claire. Why don't you wait in my room? I'll be there soon." Claire nodded. "What's wrong buddy?" asked Ty after she left. "Nothing." "Then why were you so rude?" "I just…I thought it was just gonna be us." Ty sat down. "We always spend time together, I gotta spend time with my friends too." "I thought we were friends." "Of course we are Jamie, but you can have more than one friend." Jamie nodded. "Ty can I ask you something?" asked Jamie. "Shoot." "Are you gonna run away with your girlfriend?" asked Jamie. "What. Why do you think I'm leaving?" "Well you don't really like your mom or your stepdad… and that's what happens in the movies we watch." Ty laughed. "I'm not gonna run away with my girlfriend buddy. I'm not going anywhere." A smile slowly appeared on Jamie's face. "Promise?" "Promise."_

Ty turned into his driveway and turned off the engine before getting out of his truck. He was relieved that Jamie wasn't here yet. As he walked into his trailer he looked around to make sure everything was all set. Then he took the lasagna out from the fridge. Lou had sent some over from last night's dinner. Just as he was heating up the lasagna he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

"Hey Amy," said Ty with a smile. "Hey. Is he here yet?" asked Amy on the other end. "No. I'm just setting up dinner," replied Ty. "Do you want me to come over?" Ty was tempted to say yes, but decided that it was best to catch up with Jamie on his own. "I'd love that, but I think it's best if I do this on my own." "I understand. Maybe I'll come by tomorrow to meet him," said Amy. "Yeah. That would be great." Ty looked outside when he heard the sound of tires turning onto his driveway. "Amy I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." "Okay. Love you." "Love you too."

Ty nervously walked outside to greet his cousin. As he watched his cousin step out of the taxi he realized just how long it had been since he had seen Jamie. He was no longer the 10-year-old kid he had last seen in Vancouver. He had turned into a handsome, average size man with short brown-hair and big glasses. Ty could barely see his playful little cousin anymore. When Ty looked into Jamie's brown eyes all he saw was sorrow. "Hey James," said Ty with a smile putting his hand out. "Since when do you call me James," replied Jamie as he shook Ty's hand. "I just didn't know what you preferred. It's been a while. Do you want me to call you Jamie?" "Whatever you want. I don't really care." Ty hesitated as he thought about what he should call him. "Uh… okay. Let me help you with your stuff." "No I got it." Jamie went to the trunk and pulled out his suitcase.

After the taxi drove off, Ty walked into his trailer behind Jamie. "So this is it," said Ty as Jamie looked around. "Cool." "Um. You can sleep on the bed or the couch outside. It's your choice." "I'll take the couch," said Jamie. "Are you sure?" asked Ty. Jamie nodded. "I like the fresh air." "Well Alberta's got plenty of that." Jamie nodded. "Well…um…do you wanna eat? You must be hungry." "Sure." "Cool. Lou sent us some food." "Oh okay…actually I'm not that hungry. I think I'm just gonna hit the hay. Long flight." "Of course. Let me know if you need anything." Jamie nodded as he went outside and shut the door. Ty sighed as he realized just how difficult this was going to be.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Ty had woken up early to make breakfast. He had invited Amy over, hoping that she could help ease the tension between him and Jamie. He was in the middle of flipping pancakes when he heard the door of a car being shut. He turned off the stove and walked outside. "Hey Amy," said Ty. "Hey," replied Amy as she walked up to Ty. Ty pulled Amy into a hug. "So I'm assuming things didn't go so well last night." "It was so awkward Amy," responded Ty as he let go of her. "Where is Jamie?" asked Amy. "I think he went for a run." "So what happened? Why do you think it was so tense?" asked Amy. "I wish I knew." They both turned when they heard the sound of heavy breathing coming closer. "Hey Jamie," said Ty with a smile. Jamie looked at Amy as he caught his breath. "You must be Lou." Ty and Amy both looked puzzled. "No…I'm Amy." "Why would you think she's Lou?" asked Ty. "Isn't Lou your girlfriend? The one who made dinner for us." "Oh. No I guess I should've explained. Lou is Amy's sister." "Nice to meet you Jamie," said Amy with a smile. Jamie nodded. "I'm gonna go grab some breakfast."

Ty and Amy watched as he walked into the trailer. "Well that wasn't awkward," said Amy. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on with him." "It's okay. But I think you should talk to him. Figure it out." "Yeah you're right. I just don't know what to say," said Ty. "Well from what you've told me. It sounds like you two used to be pretty close. So if you were friends once, you can be friends again. Right?" Ty nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go to talk to him. Are you coming?" asked Ty. "I think you should do this alone," said Amy. "Yeah. I'll call you later then," said Ty as he leaned in for a kiss. "Okay. See ya," responded Amy after they parted.

_Ty peered through the glass window separating him and Jamie. He watched as Jamie picked up the phone. Ty hesitated before picking up the receiver on his end. "Ty," said Jamie with fear in his voice. "Hey buddy," replied Ty. "How are you?" asked Jamie. "I'm okay." Ty noticed that Jamie had a bruise on his forehead. "Jamie what happened to your head?" asked Ty. "Oh I was playing baseball at school and the ball accidently hit my head." "Oh. Okay. Make sure you ice that." Jamie nodded. "Ty why did you do it?" asked Jamie. Ty sighed as he pondered how to respond. "He was a bad man. And he deserved it. I don't regret what I did Jamie. But that doesn't mean what I did was a good thing. I mean look where it got me." Jamie nodded. "Ty I'm scared." "Of what?" "That I'm never going to see you again. You're my only friend Ty. The only person who cares." Ty didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to break his little cousin's heart. "You'll see me again buddy. When I get out the first person I'm gonna see is you. I'm not going anywhere," said Ty. "Promise," said Jamie. Ty nodded. "Listen Jamie I'm gonna be in here for a while, so I don't want you to come too often. Okay? These places can get pretty tough for a kid," said Ty. "Okay. Can I call you?" "Um. I don't know. I'll ask." "Okay." "Okay. I gotta go." "Okay. See you later," said Jamie with a smile. "Goodbye Jamie," replied Ty not knowing when he would see him again._

"Why were you so rude?" asked Ty angrily as he shut the door to the trailer. "I wasn't. I was just hungry." "Are you kidding me? It takes two seconds to say 'Nice to meet you too' or even a simple 'Hello'," said Ty. "She's your girlfriend. Right?" "Yeah. So. What does that have to do with anything?" "So I don't need to get to know her. You'll leave her and get another one. Isn't that what you do best?" Ty was taken aback. "Look James. Amy isn't just any girlfriend. Okay? I love her very much." "Whatever. I don't really care," said Jamie. "Why are you so upset with me?" asked Ty. "Look the only reason I'm here is because my stupid mom can't afford housing on campus. I'm not here to be friends with you and I'm especially not here to be friends with your girlfriend. So why don't you just stay out of my way," said Jamie. Ty was shocked. "What happened Jamie?" Jamie sighed. "My mom happened. This family happened. You happened. The day I get away from it will be the best day of my life," said Jamie as he walked outside and slammed the door.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Ty. What's up?" asked Caleb on the other end. "Hey. Um nothing much. I actually need a favor," responded Ty as he sat in his truck dreading the drive home. "Yeah of course. What do you need?" "Well you know how my cousin is here." "Oh yeah. How is that going?" "Not so good," responded Ty. "I'm sorry man," replied Caleb. "Yeah well I was wondering if you wanted to do a guy's night. You know me, you, and Jamie. I think it might help ease the tension." "Okay. I'm always up for a guy's night," said Caleb. "Okay cool. How about Saturday night?" "Sounds good. See you then." Ty sighed as he hung up the phone. He wasn't even sure how he was going to convince Jamie to go, but he was hoping the dinner at Heartland tonight might help.

Ty put his car in park and got out. "You ready to go Jamie," said Ty as he entered his trailer. Jamie was sitting at the table ordering textbooks for his classes in the fall. "Ready to go where?" "Dinner at Heartland." Ty waited anxiously for Jamie's response. "Do I have to go?" asked Jamie. "No. But this dinner is for you and you can meet everyone." "Meet your family? Yippee," said Jamie sarcastically. "Jamie…please." "Fine. But only because I haven't had a decent meal since I got here." Ty smiled. "I'll be waiting in the truck." Jamie nodded as Ty shut the door and walked outside. As Ty was walking towards his truck he tripped over Jamie's bag. "I'm gonna kill that kid," Ty said to himself as he began to pick up everything that had fell. As he was cleaning up he noticed a small orange pill bottle. He looked closer and read the label "Prozac", he immediately recognized it as a pill for depression. He had learned about it in one of his basic science courses. He noticed that it was unopened and thought that was weird because the prescription date was almost a month ago. Ty decided that it wasn't any of his business and put the bottle back in the bag.

After a while of waiting in the truck Jamie finally came out. "You ready to go?" asked Ty. "Hey can I ride your motorcycle?" "Do you even have your motorcycle license?" "Well no, but I mean how hard can it be." Ty laughed. "You're not riding my motorcycle." "Why not?" asked Jamie. "Are you serious?" "Whatever. I'm not a little kid anymore," responded Jamie. "Just get in the truck." Jamie made a face as opened the door to the passenger side.

"You never told me this ranch has horses," said Jamie as he gazed at the horses in the pasture. "I didn't think I had to. Do you like horses?" asked Ty as he brought the truck to a stop in front of the barn. "I don't know. I've never been near one," responded Jamie. "Well now you can," said Ty with a smile. Jamie nodded. "Let's go. I'm hungry." Ty sighed. Every time he felt like he was getting closer to Jamie, Jamie would take a step back.

After dinner Ty helped Jack clean the dishes. "So how is it going Ty?" asked Jack as he washed a plate. "Not so good. I just don't know what's going on in Jamie's head." Jack smiled. "You know he reminds me of you." "Me? I don't think so. I was never like that." "Well you were a piece of work when you first came to Heartland." Ty laughed as he remembered how rude and obnoxious he had been. "But look at you now. You're an amazing young man because you turned your life around. You put your past behind you." Ty smiled as he thought about how much his life had changed since he came to Heartland. "But you have to remember it didn't happen overnight. It took some time, and even some moving backwards, but you still did it." "So what are you saying?" "I'm saying you have to give Jamie time to let go of whatever he's holding onto and just remind him that it gets better. You're the perfect role model for him." Ty knew Jack was right but he still felt like there was something more that was wrong with Jamie.

Ty and Jack turned when they heard footsteps. "Um is it okay if I go out to the barn to see the horses?" asked Jamie as he entered the kitchen. "Of course. Do you mind if I come with you? I was heading out to do night check anyway," said Jack. Jamie nodded. "I'll take care of the rest of the dishes," said Ty. "Thanks," replied Jack as he went to put on his boots and jacket.

Jack followed Jamie into the barn. "So do you like horses?" asked Jack. Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "Have you ever been near one?" Jamie shook his head. "Well you should. A horse can change a man's life." "Which horse?" asked Jamie. "Pick anyone you want," replied Jack. Jamie slowly went closer to Spartan, but jumped back when he made a sound. "It's okay. You just have to be calm. A horse can sense if you're nervous." "Never mind. This is stupid," said Jamie. "Hey you just have to be patient. Take a breath and try again." Jamie took a breath and then slowly crept closer and put his hand out and placed it on Spartans head. He smiled as he gently rubbed Spartan. "See you got it," said Jack. "Yeah," said Jamie with a smile. "Well now that you've been near a horse the next step is to learn how to ride." "Oh I don't know about that." "Don't worry. I'll teach you." "Okay. I'll think about it." Jack nodded. "You're welcome here anytime Jamie. Don't hesitate to ask for help." "Thank you Jack."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey Caleb," said Ty as he watched Caleb enter the trailer. "Ty! My main man. What is up?" "Nothing much." Caleb sat down across from Ty. "So where is your infamous cousin?" asked Caleb. "Infamous?" asked Ty. "Well he's all the talk at Heartland. Apparently he left quite the impression at the dinner last week." "Doubt it was a positive one." Caleb laughed. "What happened anyway?" asked Caleb. "Well nothing except for the fact that he was blatantly rude towards Amy." "Really? What's he have against her?" "I have absolutely no idea." "You should ask him," said Caleb. "I would, but he's not the easiest person in the world to talk to." "Well you'll never know until you try," said Caleb as he got up and started rummaging through Ty's fridge. "You realize you have nothing worth eating in here. Like this is the worst bachelor's pad ever. Where's the week old pizza?" "I'd rather live. Thanks." "More like not live." "Haha," said Ty sarcastically. "So what's the plan for tonight?" asked Caleb as he sat back down with a tub of cold pasta. "Well I was thinking we could just go out to the bar. You know a typical guys night," replied Ty. "Okay. But since it's his first guy's night with me, aka the king of guy's night, I was thinking we could spice it up." Ty was about to respond when he heard the door open. "Hey Jamie," said Ty. Jamie nodded. "Uh Jamie this is my best friend Caleb." "Best friend, best mate, brother from another mother. Whichever you prefer," added Caleb jokingly. "Cool," responded Jamie. "So you ready for a guy's night?" asked Caleb trying to pump Jamie up. Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "Hey tonight's going to be epic. Just us guys. No girls. No rules. Just pure fun. What do you say?" "No girls?" asked Jamie. "Well only the ones you pick up at the bar…I'll be your wingman," replied Caleb. "Well then I guess I'm game," responded Jamie with a smile.

Caleb turned into the parking lot in front of the bar. Ty was a little anxious as he got out of Caleb's truck. Nothing good ever happened when Caleb and Ty went to a bar. And this time he was also responsible for his cousin. "Hey Jamie why don't you go get us a table? I just have to talk to Caleb for a second." Jamie nodded as he went inside. "What's up?" asked Caleb excitedly. Ty could tell how anxious he was to get inside. "Look man. I know you want this to be some crazy night. But…well he's about to start college. And he's worked really hard to get here. I don't want him to end up like me. So please don't do anything to jeopardize that. Okay?" Caleb nodded. "Ty, I know you don't want him to end up like you. But if that boy turns out to be half the man you are today… well he's gonna be one lucky fella." "Thanks buddy," responded Ty with a smile.

"So Jamie tell me about yourself," said Caleb as he drank his beer. "What do you want to know?" "Well do you have any siblings? What are you studying? You know the usual stuff." "Well I have one sister. And my major is film studies." "That's awesome. I love movies," responded Caleb. "Hey how is Ellie?" asked Ty realizing he had totally forgot to ask about his other cousin. "She's good. She's actually engaged." "Really? That's awesome." "Yeah she's been engaged for months now. She also just graduated from university, but you would know that if you just called once in the past 10 years." Ty didn't know how to respond. He glanced at Caleb to signal that he needed him to step in. "Okay enough of this chit chat. Let's get this party started," said Caleb as he chugged the remaining beer in his glass. "What do you say we get some shots up in here? Jamie come help me get them," said Caleb.

Caleb and Jamie were at the bar waiting for the bartender. "So Jamie, you gonna tell me why you're being such an ass to Ty?" asked Caleb. "Well you just get straight to the point." "Yeah I don't like beating around the bush. Too much effort." "You wouldn't understand." Caleb laughed. "What?" asked Jamie. "Nothing. It's just you might hate Ty, but you're exactly like him. Like I swear I've stepped back in time to when I first met Ty." "Awesome," said Jamie sarcastically. "You know there was a time when I hated Ty." "Not surprising." Caleb smiled. "Yeah…except now I can't imagine having a better friend than Ty. He's put himself on the line for me on more than one occasion." "I find that hard to believe." "Give him a chance. You won't regret it." Caleb patted Jamie on the back. "Come on lets go have some fun."


	10. Chapter 10

_Ty sat down and picked up the receiver. "Hi," said Ty sternly as he peered through the glass at his aunt. "How are you doing Ty?" "I'm in an orange jumpsuit and behind bars. So how do you think I'm doing?" responded Ty sarcastically. "Well you have to face the consequences of your actions." Ty didn't expect his aunt to understand the situation he was in with his stepdad. "I don't regret what I did. I did what I had to do to protect my mom and me." His aunt nodded. "How is James?" asked Ty. "He's okay…Ty the reason I came here today was because I have a favor to ask you." "Okay. I'm pretty sure they're not gonna let me babysit Jamie while I'm sitting in jail." "Uh. No…um…you know how grateful I am to you for always being there for Jamie." Ty nodded as he became more curious about what his aunt wanted him to do. "But even though I don't show it well I do love him very much, and it's my job to protect him." "Okay. Protect him from who? Is he okay?" asked Ty. "I need to protect him from you. Jamie looks up to you Ty, and you're sitting in jail. Right now you're just not a good influence. And I don't know if you ever will be." Ty didn't know how to feel. A part of him was furious but the other part knew that his aunt was right. "What are you asking me to do?" "I don't want you to see Jamie anymore." "Well that's not gonna be too difficult. If you hadn't noticed, I'm in jail." "I mean I don't want you to talk to him, or let him visit, or even see him when you get out." "Why?" "Because I don't want him to end up like you. Ty was furious. "You mean you don't want him to end up like my Dad. Ever since he left you've always treated me like crap just because I'm his son." "Ty your dad is not a good person, and he's obviously had some influence on your life. Do you really blame me for wanting to protect my son from all this?" Ty was losing his patience. "Look if you care about Jamie you'll do what I'm asking you to do," said his aunt. "If I care about Jamie?! I've been there for Jamie more than you ever have been. You don't know anything about what's going on his life!" Ty took a breath to calm himself down before he said anything he would regret. "This is the best thing for him in the long run." "You're wrong." "I think you know I'm right. Which is why I know you're going to do what I'm asking you to do." _

"Hey Jamie," said Amy as she watched him enter the Heartland kitchen. "Oh. Hey." "Is Ty here too?" asked Amy as she took a sip of her orange juice. "No. He was still sleeping when I left. It was a long night." "Yeah Ty told me you guys were going out with Caleb. Did you have fun?" Jamie nodded. "Cool. Um can I get you some breakfast?" "No. I'm good." "Are you sure? Do you want some juice?" asked Amy. "Uh. Sure." Amy poured him a glass of orange juice and handed it to Jamie. "Thanks." They stood there in silence drinking their juices. "Jamie what's your problem with me?" asked Amy finally breaking the awkward period of silence. Jamie didn't know how to respond. He knew they had only just met and she had been so nice to him. But he couldn't get rid of his anger for some reason. "Ty came back to Heartland. He stayed. Why didn't he do that for me?" "I don't…I…" "It's okay. Do you know where Jack is?" Amy sighed. "Yeah in the barn." Jamie nodded. "Hey. There has to be more to the story then you think. Ty would never just leave someone he cares about without coming back. Trust me."

Jamie walked outside toward the barn. He watched the beautiful horses in the field and thought about how lucky Ty was to see this every day. "Hi Jack," said Jamie as he entered the barn. "Jamie. How are you?" "I'm good. I thought I'd take you up on those lessons." "That's great Jamie." "So what do we do first?" Jack laughed. "You don't waste any time. First I have to go eat some breakfast and drink some coffee, but why don't you pick a horse and brush it for a while." Jamie nodded. "Which one?" "Anyone you want. Although Phoenix over there might be too much for a beginner." Jamie slowly gazed at the horses in their stalls. He eventually made eye contact with one. He was struck by its beauty and couldn't help but feel like there was something special about the horse. "That one," said Jamie as he pointed at him. Jack laughed. "What?" "You just picked Harley." "So?" "Well that horse belongs to Ty." "Oh. Maybe I should pick another one then." "No. I think Harley is the perfect horse. Plus he could use some companionship. Ty's busy schedule doesn't really give him enough time to take him out riding." "Well that's not surprising. Ty abandoning someone." "Well I wouldn't call it that." Jamie picked up a brush and gently brushed Harley. "You know a horse can pick up on that anger of yours. So you wanna tell me what's going on?" Jamie shook his head. "Yeah it's probably best you keep all that anger bottled up inside you. When that horse kicks you off, at least you'll have something to break your fall." Jamie silently continued to brush Harley. "Well I'm gonna go get something from the house. When I get back we can get started with those lessons." "Ty was my best friend…and he left me," stuttered Jamie.


	11. Chapter 11

Ty stirred as he felt a soft touch stroke his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes. "Hey," said Ty with a smile. "Hey sleepy head." "Well this is the best alarm clock ever." Amy laughed. "Are you okay?" asked Amy with concern in her voice. Ty rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Why?" asked Ty groggily. "Well it's almost 2 in the afternoon." "What?" Ty looked at his phone and realized how much of the day he had wasted. "I guess I overslept," said Ty as he put his phone down. He rubbed his head as he felt the after effects of last night. "You guess?" asked Amy with a laugh. "It was a long night." "I can tell." Amy handed Ty a glass of water. "Thanks," said Ty as he sat up. "No problem." "Where's Jamie?" asked Ty. "He's at Heartland." "Really?" "Yeah. I think he took Grandpa up on those lessons." "Wow. Maybe having a guy's night actually worked." "Maybe. Plus we finally had a conversation." "Seriously?" Amy nodded. "Yeah. He told me something actually," said Amy. "Yeah?" "Yeah. He told me that the reason he was so upset was because he thinks you left him."

"_Okay Ty. We found a place for you. It's part of a program at this ranch near Hudson," said Clint, Ty's probation officer. Ty growled. "A ranch? That sounds awful." "Oh I'm sure you'll have a great time," said Clint. "Doubt it." "Well you're stuck with it. You should feel lucky. The person who runs the program, Marion I believe, she had a lot of kids to choose from. But she picked you. She said she had a good feeling about you." Ty rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Clint shuffled through some papers. "Here is the address for the ranch…uh I think it's called Heart…Heartland. Yeah." Ty took the address from Clint. "I'll be calling the ranch to make sure you get there. And then I'll be doing regular checkups until your probation period is over." Ty nodded. "Hey. Um. About that request…" "Oh yeah. I talked to your aunt and she said he's doing great. Everything's going well in school and he's making a ton of friends." Clint opened his drawer and pulled out a note. "She gave me this. It's from Jamie." Ty took the note and read it in his head. "Ty, I want you to know that I am happy and that I don't blame you for anything. I just want you to live your life." Ty put the note in his jacket pocket. "It sounds like he's doing fine. I guess I was worried about nothing." _

Ty pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt. Amy laughed as she watched Ty pull the shirt over his head. "What?" She got up and walked over to Ty. "Your hair," said Amy with a giggle. Ty looked in the mirror and smiled. "Here let me fix it." She gently combed through Ty's hair. "Thanks." Amy nodded. "Ty, what was he talking about?" Ty looked at Amy. "I really don't know." Amy put the comb down. "Well did you leave him?" Ty sighed. "I didn't think I did." "What do you mean?" Ty went over to his bed and pulled out a box from underneath it. Amy watched as Ty opened the box and dug through it. He walked back over to Amy and handed her a note. "That's a note that Clint gave me right before I came to Heartland. It was from Jamie." As Amy read the note Ty explained everything to Amy from when Jamie's mom came to visit him in juvi to when Clint gave Ty the note from Jamie. "After I read the note. I just assumed he was doing fine so I didn't think I had to go see him. He sounded happy. So I didn't go back and I didn't call. I thought that's what he wanted." Amy put the note down. "I think you should talk to Jamie about this. Clear the air." "I know. I'm going to talk to him, but it's just so hard." "Yeah but he seems to be doing better. And spending time with Grandpa should help to. It worked with you." Ty smiled. "I think that had more to do with all the time I was spending with you." "Oh so you're saying Jamie needs his own Amy. Huh?" "Oh no I think one Amy is enough for this world." "Hey!" exclaimed Amy as she playfully punched Ty. Ty laughed as he leaned in for a kiss.

"_So are you all set?" asked Clint. "Yeah. I guess I'm off to what is it …horseland?" responded Ty. "It's Heartland." "Yeah. Whatever," said Ty with a sigh as he picked up his bag. "Ty, look at it this way. This is a new beginning for you. And there's magic in beginnings. You never know what's going to happen." _

Ty's phone vibrated on the table. "Amy can you read the text to me?" asked Ty as he heated up some pasta in the microwave. "Yeah." Amy reached over to grab Ty's phone. "Hey Ty, you better not be to hungover to take my shift today. Thanks again for covering for me," said Amy as she read the text aloud. "It's from Cass." "Yeah I actually have to go Amy. I promised Cass I would switch shifts with her." "Okay," said Amy with a sigh. Ty looked at Amy. "What's wrong?" Amy looked down. "Nothing." "Amy" "It's just…that night before Jamie got here I came over to help you feel better and she ended up helping you instead." Ty laughed. "Are you serious Amy?" Amy nodded. Ty pulled Amy closer to him. "Amy, you help me every day. Just by being here." Amy smiled as she leaned in for a kiss. They parted when they heard the door to the trailer opening. "Hey guys," said Jamie as he entered the trailer. "Hey Jamie," responded Ty. "You're finally awake." "Yeah. Last night was pretty crazy." "Yeah but fun." Ty nodded with a smile. "How did your lessons with Grandpa go?" asked Amy. "Pretty good. Riding was awesome." Amy smiled. "Which horse did you ride?" asked Amy. "Well I actually rode Harley." Ty laughed. "He's an awesome horse." "Yeah he's beautiful." Ty nodded. "Okay. I have to go for my shift." "Okay. Hey um maybe we could have dinner tonight. I can cook," said Jamie. "You know how to cook?" asked Ty. "Yeah. It's kind of a hobby," said Jamie. "Wow. Okay well I'm looking forward to trying it." "Cool. Amy you wanna join us?" asked Jamie. Ty and Amy glanced at each other and smiled. "Um you know I would love to but I already promised Lou I'd be home for dinner. Maybe next time." "Okay," said Jamie with a smile.


	12. Chapter 12

Ty got out of his truck and walked towards his trailer. He was both excited and nervous for dinner. While at work he had decided that he would finally clear the air with Jamie. However, he was still unsure of how Jamie would react and he didn't want to ruin whatever improvements their relationship had made.

Ty walked in and immediately took in the delicious smell. "That smells amazing," said Ty as he closed the door. "Thanks. I made Indian food. There's some spicy rice with chicken called Biryani." "Wow. You went all out." "Yeah. When I get started I kind of just keep going," said Jamie as he set the table. "I can tell. Where did you learn how to make Indian food?" asked Ty as he took off his jacket. "Um well Ellie's fiancé is actually from India. So he taught me how to make some dishes." "Wow. I'm impressed. I had no idea how into cooking you were." "Yeah. I picked it up right after you left. It helped me get through a lot." Ty nodded. He knew that was the perfect entry point to ask Jamie about what he had said to Amy earlier but Ty was too hungry to have a deep conversation. "Well let's eat. I'm starving."

Ty and Jamie sat down and began to eat their food. "This is amazing," said Ty. "Thanks," responded Jamie as he began to laugh. "What's so funny?" asked Ty. "Nothing. I was just…do you remember when I used to come over your house and we would try to come up with new recipes?" "Oh yeah. We came up with the craziest stuff." "Yeah I remember once we mixed peanut butter, chicken, chocolate bars, and ham on a sandwich." "Yup I definitely remember making that one." "It tasted awesome," said Jamie. "Are you kidding me? It tasted awful," said Ty with a face of disgust. "And then we always had to spend hours cleaning the kitchen afterwards." "You mean I always spent hours cleaning the kitchen while you sat on your butt and watched TV," added Ty. Jamie laughed. "But we still had fun." "No doubt about that," said Ty with a smile.

As they were cleaning up Ty decided to stop delaying the inevitable conversation with Jamie. "Hey you want to have s'mores for dessert? We could go outside and start a fire like old times." Jamie smiled. "When we used to go fake camping in your backyard." "But I tried so hard to make it real." Jamie laughed. "I was 6. I knew what real camping looked like." "Oh well. Maybe one day you and I can actually go camping," suggested Ty. "Maybe. But right now s'mores sound nice."

Ty and Jamie were sitting outside waiting for the fire to get bigger. "So Jamie…I…um…well Amy told me what you said to her this morning," said Ty trying to start the conversation. "Um yeah. It was nothing." "Are you sure? Cause we can talk about it," said Ty. "Yeah I'm sure. I'm going to go get the stuff for the s'mores." Ty nodded. "Okay." Ty was left even more confused about how to talk to Jamie.

Jamie went inside and started to look around for the marshmallows. He was going through the drawers when he came across something that caught his eye.

Ty was sitting outside with his thoughts when he heard the trailer door slam shut. He turned around to see Jamie walking towards him. As Jamie got closer to Ty, he dangled a small box in front of him. Ty sighed as he realized that things were about to take a turn for the worse. "What is this?" asked Jamie.


	13. Chapter 13

"What is this?" repeated Jamie. Ty stood up and took a breath. "It's an engagement ring," responded Ty. "Well no duh. Why do you have it?" "Why do you think?" "Are you serious? You're gonna ask her to marry you?" asked Jamie. "Yeah. I am," responded Ty without hesitation.

"So you don't have commitment issues," Jamie muttered to himself. "What?" asked Ty looking confused. Jamie took a step back. "You're willing to get married but you couldn't even come and see me once!" Ty could see that Jamie was upset but he didn't understand why. "What is going on?" asked Ty. As soon as Ty asked that question he swore he could see the fire burning in Jamie's eyes.

"Well you would know if you had ever bothered to come and visit me when you got out! Or even called just once!" Ty was unsure how to respond. "You left me Ty. You left me with my crazy mother. You were supposed to be on my side! My best friend! You promised I would be the first person you saw when you got out!" "I know and I was planning on coming to see you," replied Ty. "No you weren't. Don't lie to me Ty!" "I'm not lying to you! I wanted to come and see you. I really did."

Jamie shook his head as his anger rose inside of him. He felt all the emotions he had bottled up coming to the surface. "You know when I found out you had gotten out I waited for you to come and see me. My mom told me that you wouldn't come because you were just like your Dad. She said you had commitment issues. That you didn't know how to stay. But I stood up for you. I told her that you were way too good of a person to be like your Dad!" "Are you serious she said that?!" yelled Ty as he too became angry. "It doesn't matter we were both wrong. Because you're worse than your Dad! You're selfish! You only care about yourself!"

"Hold on Jamie. You don't know the full story. There's a reason I didn't come and visit you." "I don't care about your excuses. I'm so tired of excuses. All my life my mom made up excuses. Just be honest with me Ty. You just chose to leave behind your real family so you could have a better life. You didn't even look back once. You didn't think once about the people you left behind and what would happen to us. Your real family," exclaimed Jamie. Ty tried to speak but Jamie just kept on going. "But I guess we don't matter as long as you're happy. Right Ty?" "That's not true! Jamie please listen to me." Jamie shook his head. "You know I thought I could just come here and go to my classes and ignore you. But I can't do it. I just can't." "Jamie please let me explain," said Ty as he moved forward and tried to put his hand on Jamie's shoulder.

Jamie moved back. "Don't come near me Ty! You ruined my life. I hate you so much. I can't …I just hate you!" Ty could tell that Jamie was losing it. All his anger was coming out all at once. "I HATE YOU! AND I HATE MYSELF FOR EVER TRUSTING YOU!" Jamie pushed Ty to the ground and began throwing punches at him. "Jamie! Stop!" yelled Ty as he tried to gain control and push Jamie off of him. "Because of you I can't trust anybody! I don't have any friends! Not even a real family," yelled Jamie in between punches. At that point Ty had lost it too. He was angry that Jamie wasn't listening to him and was fed up with Jamie's behavior. Ty finally gained control and pushed Jamie off of him. "Stop acting like a baby! You're blaming your problems on everyone else. But the only one responsible for your problems, is you." Jamie tried to punch Ty again but this time Ty blocked him. "GET OUT! And don't ever come back! I don't want to see you again," yelled Ty. Jamie paused and took a breath. Ty immediately regretted what he said but didn't know how to take it back. Jamie went into the trailer and after a while came back out with his bag. Jamie walked up to Ty. "You promised that you would never leave me. Do you remember? You promised that you would never leave me for a girl. But you did. I know she's the reason you never came back Ty." Jamie handed Ty the box with the engagement ring. "You promised Ty and I believed you." Ty watched as Jamie walked off into the night without even looking back.


	14. Chapter 14

Ty walked into his trailer and put the engagement ring back in the drawer. He then lied down on his bed as the events that had just occurred settled in. He regretted yelling at Jamie like that. He didn't blame Jamie for feeling the way he did, Ty had felt that way too at one point. He realized that Jamie was right, Ty had made a promise to always be there for him and Ty had failed him. Ty turned as he began to feel drowsy. As he felt the pressure of the pillow on his face he felt a sharp pain. He touched his face and realized that his face was swollen from the fight. He got up and took some ice out of the freezer and gently placed it on his cheek. As he was trying to soothe the pain Ty felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled out his phone but didn't recognize the number.

"Hello," said Ty. "Hey Ty. Um it's Ellie, your cousin." "Oh Hey Ellie," said Ty after he realized it was Jamie's sister. "How are you?" "I'm good. How about you? I heard you're getting married," responded Ty. "Yeah I am. I'm excited." "That's good." "Um listen Ty. Do you know where Jamie is? I've been trying to call him but he's not picking up." "Oh um I'm actually not sure," said Ty feeling guilty. "Isn't he staying with you?" asked Ellie. "Well he was…we kind of had an argument and he left." "What? What kind of argument?" "It's a lot to explain but it got pretty bad." "Ty you have to go after him," said Ellie with concern in her voice. "Why?" "Ty, what did my mom tell you when she asked if he could stay with you?" "Nothing. Just that he needed a place to stay for college." "I guess I should've expected that from my mom." "What is going on?" asked Ty feeling even more frustrated with all the lies that were piling up. "Ty, Jamie has severe depression. He's had it for a long time now." All of sudden everything started to make sense for Ty. It was like a lightbulb just went off. "Is that what all the bruising was from when he was a kid? Was he hurting himself?" asked Ty. "Yeah. It was. I mean he's on medication now." Ty cut in. "I don't think so. I found his medication and it was unopened. It was a 3 month old prescription." "Are you serious? Ty please tell me you know where to find him." "I don't," said Ty trying to think of where Jamie could go. "You have to find him. He's on edge. Anything can trigger him. And if you guys just had a fight and he's not taking his medication. I'm scared he's gonna do something stupid. Please Ty." "Don't worry. I'm gonna find him," said Ty as he hung up the phone.

As Ty got in his truck he tried to think of the places Jamie would go. He decided to check to see if he was with Caleb. As he was driving he called Amy. "Hey Ty. How was the dinner?" asked the voice on the other end. "Hey Amy. Listen Jamie and I got into an argument and he took off. I need your help to find him." "Of course. What do you need me to do?" asked Amy. "Can you check if he's walking towards Heartland? Maybe drive around?" asked Ty. "Yeah. I'll call you if I find him." "Thanks," responded Ty. "Everything is gonna be okay Ty." "I hope so," responded Ty.

Ty stopped his truck when he saw a bag that looked like Jamie's on the side of the road. He pulled over and took out a flashlight. The bag was opened and everything was scattered on the ground. He followed the trail of Jamie's stuff hoping it would lead to Jamie. As Ty walked he felt a rush of fear surge through his body. Ty felt guilty and ashamed for not knowing that Jamie was hurting so badly. He wondered that if he had gone back maybe Jamie wouldn't be in the condition he was in.

Just as Ty was about to give up he noticed a dark figure lying on the ground. "Jamie!" yelled Ty as he ran towards the body. As Ty came closer to an unconscious Jamie he noticed an empty bottle of pills lying next to him. "Shit! Jamie what did you do?!" Ty kneeled down and tried to check for a pulse. "Come on Jamie," said Ty nervously. Ty breathed a sigh of relief when he finally felt a slow pulse. He realized that waiting for an ambulance would be pointless, it would be too late by then. The pills needed to be pumped out of him right away. "Okay Jamie. Just hang on," said Ty anxiously as he picked up Jamie and began to carry him to his truck. Ty knew he was exhausted but in that moment he felt his anger towards Jamie's mom giving him the energy he needed to carry Jamie. He gently laid Jamie down on the seat. Ty got in the truck and began the drive to the hospital. Ty couldn't help but feel that he was the reason his cousin had just tried to take his own life. He could feel his hands shaking as he drove as fast as he could, unsure if his cousin was going to make it.


	15. Chapter 15

Ty was sitting in the waiting room waiting for the Doctor to tell him if Jamie was okay. He anxiously fidgeted with his hands as he stared at the floor, lost in thought. He had called Amy to tell her he had found Jamie, and had stressed that she didn't need to come to the hospital. He preferred to be alone while he waited. He knew he still needed to call Ellie and Jamie's mom. Although he wasn't sure if his aunt even deserved to know about Jamie's condition. A part of him wanted Jamie's mom to know what she had done to her own son. But at the same time he couldn't stand the thought of having to see her, he was afraid of what he might do if he did. He was so full of anger. Anger at his aunt, at Jamie for being so stupid, but mostly at himself. He couldn't help but think he could've helped Jamie, protected him, if he had just gone back. He told himself that if Jamie was okay he would do the best he could to help Jamie and be there for him.

Ty looked up when he saw someone walking towards him. "Mr. Borden?" asked the doctor. Ty nodded nervously as he stood up. "Ty." "Hi Ty. I'm Dr. Walker," said the doctor as she shook Ty's hand. "How is Jamie? Is he…." Ty couldn't even bring himself to say it. The doctor cut in. "He's fine. We were able to pump the pills out of him. You brought him in just in time," said Dr. Walker with a gentle smile. Ty felt like he could breathe again. "Can I see him?" "Well right now he's in the ICU. We want to wait a little before we allow visitors. I'll have a nurse let you know when you can see him." "The ICU? That sounds bad," said Ty. "Don't worry. It's just a precaution we take with cases like these. He won't be in there for long." "Thank you." "One more thing Ty. Since this was a suicide attempt he's going to be under constant suicide watch for at least two days, maybe more. We're also going to have a psychiatrist evaluate him. So it's going to be a while before he is released from the hospital. I just want you to be prepared for that." Ty nodded. "Would you like some ice?" "What?" asked Ty looking confused. "You got some nasty bruising there. I can get a nurse to bring you some." Ty had almost forgot about the fight he had with Jamie earlier. It seemed so long ago. Ty shook his head. "No. It's okay." "Okay. Well if you change your mind, just ask for some at the Nurses desk." Ty nodded. "Relax Ty. You just saved your cousin's life."

Ty walked outside to get some air and paced back and forth. There were so many things running through his mind. But having to make the dreadful call to Jamie's mom was nagging him the most. He was so sure he had escaped all of this. All the anxiety and pain he felt when he was around his family. He was so tired of feeling this way and just wanted it to go away. Ty sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall of the building. He shut his eyes as he realized how tired he was. Just as Ty was about to succumb to his exhaustion, he felt someone sit down next to him. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was. Amy gently put her arms around Ty and pulled him closer to her. As Ty rested his head on Amy's shoulder he had no more energy to control himself. He felt the tears falling as he cried in Amy's arms. "I messed up Amy. I messed up," cried Ty.

Ty walked out of the bathroom after washing his face. Amy was standing outside waiting for him. "What happened to your face Ty?" asked Amy with concern. "Well the argument between Jamie and I got a little physical." "Well I can see that," said Amy. Ty smiled. "Let's go for a walk Ty." "I want to be here in case the Doctor needs me," responded Ty. "Come on. We won't go far." Ty hesitated but eventually caved. Amy took Ty's hand and held it as they walked in the dark. After a while, Amy squeezed Ty's hand. "What are you thinking?" Ty sighed. "It's my fault Amy. I did this to him. I might as well have shoved the pills down his throat." Amy stopped walking. "Why would you say that Ty?" "Well it's true." "No it's not. And you know that. There is nothing you could've done Ty." Ty was about to respond but he stopped himself. "What?" "I could've…I could've gone back. After my probation was over. I could've gone to see him. Spent some time with him." "Ty, you barely had your life together when you finished your probation period. How could you have helped your cousin?" "I should've called. I…I hurt the one person who looked up to me and trusted me. The one person in my family who never let me down. I did that. So don't tell me it's not my fault." "Ty, even if it is your fault, you can't change the past. Just focus on helping him now." Ty looked down. He wanted to believe Amy, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. "Look at me Ty." Ty looked up and stared into Amy's big blue eyes. Amy leaned up and gently kissed Ty on the forehead. "I love you Ty. You are a good person. Please don't ever doubt that." Ty nodded as Amy pulled him into a hug. Ty realized that there was still something else he needed to do. "Um Amy, I still have to call his mom," said Ty as they pulled apart. "Ty no matter how horrible she is, she's still his mom. You have to tell her." "I know. But I…I don't think I can do it Amy. I don't think I can talk to her or even see her. I'm just so angry at her," stuttered Ty. "Yes you can." Amy took Ty's cellphone out of his pocket and handed it to him. "I'm right here." Ty nodded and dialed his aunt's number. "Hello," said the voice on the other end. Ty took a breath as he began to explain everything to a person, who in his mind, didn't even deserve to know.


	16. Chapter 16

Ty was sleeping with his head on Amy's lap. Amy had offered to stay while Ty went home to sleep but he didn't want to leave. Ty awoke as he felt Amy playing with his hair. "Hey," said Ty. "Hey," responded Amy with a smile. "What time is it?" asked Ty as he looked out the window of the waiting room and saw the sun rising. "It's almost 6." Ty nodded. "Are you feeling better?" asked Amy with concern. "Yeah. I was exhausted," responded Ty. "I know. You were sleeping for a long time," said Amy with a smile. "Did you get any sleep?" asked Ty. Amy shook her head. "I'm sorry Amy. You should go home and get some rest. I'll be fine." "It's okay Ty. I want to be here," said Amy as she leaned down to kiss him. "Did the nurse say we could see Jamie yet?" asked Ty as he sat up. "No," responded Amy. "What's taking them so long?" asked Ty with concern. "I'm sure everything is okay." Ty nodded. "I'll go get us some coffees," said Amy. "Thanks," responded Ty.

Ty was pacing back and forth waiting for Amy to come back. He was nervous. He didn't know why he still couldn't see his cousin. Ty turned around to do another lap around the waiting room but paused when he saw a familiar face walking towards him. All of his anger from the previous night came rushing back. A part of him wanted to run away but the other part wanted to just let all his frustration out.

"What did you do to my son?" asked his aunt as she stopped in front of him. "I didn't do anything," responded Ty coolly. "I knew this was a bad idea. I should've never let him stay with you. You're just trouble. That's all you'll ever be." "Maybe. But at least I'm not a liar. At least I don't manipulate the people I love." "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about all the lies. Starting with that letter." Ty could tell that everything was coming back to his aunt. "I wrote that letter to protect my son. And clearly I had good reason to. He was doing fine at home with me. And then he comes here and this happens." Ty felt like he was gonna lose it but he knew that he had to keep his calm. "You made me believe that he was fine. That he didn't want to see me." "I did what I did to protect my son." Ty laughed. "What you did put your son in the hospital! He thought that I had given up on him! You made him believe that I didn't care about him! You're the reason he tried to kill himself!" Ty stared at his aunt with anger.

He took a breath when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Ty," said Amy calmly. "You must be Amy," said his aunt. Amy didn't respond. "Well I have to say I'm surprised you haven't left her yet Ty. Or are you just waiting till you two get married and have a kid? Isn't that the Borden way?" Ty was about to respond but he felt Amy tighten her grip on his shoulder.

"Mr. Borden?" asked the nurse as she walked up to them breaking the tension. "Yes," responded Ty. "Jamie is out of the ICU and has been brought into a room." Ty let out a sigh of relief. "Can I see him?" asked his aunt. "Yes. Only one visitor at a time though." "Well I'm his mom. I'm going to go first." Ty was about to say something but the nurse cut in. "Actually he requested to see Mr. Borden." "Well I don't want him to see Ty. I'm his mom. And I don't want him allowed into my son's room." "Well I'm sorry but your son is over 18 so he can decide who he wants to see and doesn't want to see. And he's asking to see Mr. Borden." The nurse motioned for Ty to follow her. "Come with me Mr. Borden. I can show you his room." Ty began to follow the nurse but stopped and turned around to face his aunt. "I may not be the best role model but at least I'll still have Jamie in my life. Cause when I tell him the truth. I'm not so sure you will."

Amy watched as Ty followed the nurse. "Be prepared to get your heartbroken." Amy turned around and faced the woman who had put the man she loved through so much pain. "What is your problem with Ty? Huh? Cause I…I don't get it. I really don't. I mean there is not a day that goes by that I don't feel grateful to have Ty in my life. And you and the rest of your family just…how do you treat your own nephew like that? Cause whenever I look at Ty all I see is love and kindness. And I see the pain in his eyes… the pain that your family put him through. His mom. His dad. You. And it breaks my heart. Cause he doesn't deserve any of it. He is such a good person. And I don't understand why it's so hard for his family to see that. To see how special he is." "You weren't there when his dad left or when he beat up his stepdad. He was a troublemaker," said Ty's aunt. Amy nodded. "Yeah I wasn't there. But people change. I have never met a more hardworking person, someone so dedicated to be a better man. If you spent two minutes with him…just two minutes then I know you would see the same man I see every day. And you would know that he could never be like his dad."


	17. Chapter 17

Ty slowly walked into Jamie's room. "Hey," said Jamie. "Hey," responded Ty as he walked closer to Jamie. He stopped at the foot of the bed. Ty stared at the needles poked in Jamie's arm and noticed how weak he looked. "How are you feeling?" "Eh. I've been better." "I can see that." "I look that bad?" Ty nodded. They both laughed. After the laughter died down, they stood awkwardly in silence for a while. Ty was unsure of what to say.

"I'm so sorry Jamie. I…I had no idea you were hurting so badly," said Ty finally breaking the awkward tension. "No. It's not your fault." Jamie sat up in his bed. "I…I've had a lot of time to think and I realized that I shouldn't blame you or my mom for my problems. I have to take responsibility for my life." "Why did you do it Jamie?" asked Ty. Jamie shook his head. "I don't know. I felt like I had no control and the only way out was just to end it. But right after I took the pills…I was so scared. I thought about the day that I rode Harley with Jack and how you changed your life. I realized that there's so much I want to do." Ty was about to tell Jamie the truth about his mom but Jamie cut in. "And I think I'm ready to get the help I need. To get better. I mean I know it's going to take time and a lot of work. But you have to start somewhere." Ty nodded. He realized that telling Jamie about his mom would just set him back. And that was the last thing he wanted to do. "I'm glad you're feeling better Jamie." Jamie nodded. "The nurse told me that you were the one that brought me in…thank you Ty." "Just don't do anything like that again. The next time you feel like that. Come to me. I promise I got your back. Always." Jamie smiled. "Hey I was wondering if, once you get out of here, we could go on that camping trip. Before you start school," said Ty. "I'd like that." Ty smiled. "Well your mom is waiting outside to see you, so I'll come by later. Okay?" Jamie nodded. "Hey Ty?" Ty turned around. "Yeah." "That engagement ring…I think she's really gonna like it."

As Ty walked back into the waiting room he saw Jamie's mom rush past him towards Jamie's room. "How did it go?" asked Amy as Ty walked up to her. "Pretty good," replied Ty with a smile. "Did you tell him about the letter?" asked Amy. Ty shook his head. "No." Amy gave Ty a confused look as she waited for him to explain himself. "Well I was going to but then I realized telling him would just set him back. Even though his mom was wrong, he needs her right now. I mean no matter what she's his mom. If he found out what his mom did. He would push her away and that would make him even more depressed. That's the last thing he needs." "But what about you and him?" "I think things between us are going to get better. We still have a lot of things to talk through but I think he's ready to move on from the past." Amy nodded. "And you?" Ty smiled as he gave Amy a kiss. After they parted Ty stared into Amy's beautiful eyes. "What?" asked Amy. "Have I mentioned today how lucky I am to be in love with you? Because I could not have gotten through this without you. And I know I've been pretty distant since Jamie got here and I don't say this enough but thank you. For everything." Amy smiled. "Well finally some gratitude." Ty laughed. "C'mon. Let's go home."


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey Georgie," said Ty as he walked into the Heartland kitchen. "Hey," responded Georgie with a smile as she chewed on her cereal. "What's up?" asked Ty. "Nothing much. I just have loads of studying to do this weekend," said Georgie with a sigh. "Sounds fun," responded Ty sarcastically. "Yup. Um. I heard about your cousin. How's he doing?" asked Georgie. "He's doing better. He's gonna be released from the hospital tomorrow." "That's good," responded Georgie. "Yeah. Driving back and forth from the hospital for the past two weeks has been tiring, but I'm glad he's getting the treatment he needs." Georgie nodded. "I guess you and I are pretty lucky." "What do you mean?" asked Ty. "Well we got out. We ended up at Heartland." "I guess so," said Ty as he pondered what Georgie said. "Anyway. What are you doing here?" "I just came by to pick up Amy, but let me guess. She's still sleeping?" "Yup. I just went in her room to get something and she was out cold." Ty laughed. "I'm not surprised." "Do you want me to wake her up? Because I have always wanted to wake someone up with a bucket of ice cold water," said Georgie enthusiastically. "Um no. I think as her boyfriend I should not let you do that." "Fine. Be a party pooper." Ty laughed. "Did you guys have a date or something?" asked Georgie. "No. We were just gonna go into town together. I have some errands I need to do." "Oh. Well. Can I come with you? I have something I wanted to get at Maggies." "Sure," said Ty with a smile. "Cool. I'm just gonna change out of my PJ's and I'll be right out," said Georgie.

Ty was sitting in the kitchen drinking some coffee while he waited for Georgie. He looked out the kitchen window when he heard a car pull up. He was surprised to see his aunt get out of the car. He put on his jacket and walked outside. "I stopped by your trailer but you weren't there. Jamie told me you might be here," said his aunt. She scanned the ranch. "Heartland really is beautiful. I can see why you love this place." "What are you doing here?" asked Ty. "Why didn't you tell Jamie about the letter?" "Because right now he needs to get better." His aunt nodded in agreement. "Thank you Ty." Ty shook his head. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for Jamie." "I know." "Well I should go I…" "Ty. Can I just say something? I promise it won't be long." Ty stood there and waited for his aunt to continue. "Over these past two weeks I've gotten to see a glimpse of your life here. I met Jack when he came to visit Jamie. He told me about everything you've done and how proud of you he is. And I have to say he doesn't seem like an easy man to impress. And Jamie can't stop talking about how much he liked Heartland and…" "What's your point?" "Amy told me that if I spent two minutes with you I would see that you're not like your Dad. And she was right. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. I was wrong. It's just you look so much like him. And I guess my brain just assumed that you'd turn out like him. But you're nothing like your Dad. And I see that now."

Ty stood there for a while and took in the apology he had waited so long to hear. "You know what?" Ty began to laugh. "What?" asked his aunt looking confused. "I don't care. I really don't care." His aunt silently watched as Ty laughed. "You know there was a time when all I wanted was to hear those words come out of your mouth. Like it would infuriate me. This past month, since Jamie got here, I have been so upset about everything. But all of this helped me realize that I am so lucky. Cause I got a second chance. So I'm done being angry about the past. I'm done worrying about it coming back to haunt me. Because it doesn't matter anymore." Ty felt so liberated after coming to the conclusion that he was ready to move on. "Um Jamie wants to stay here for college. So I'm gonna rent out an apartment in Calgary so him and I can live there. Just until he's feeling better." "That's all Jamie's ever wanted, is for you to be there for him." "I know. And I'm gonna try harder to be a better mom and a better aunt." Ty nodded. "Well I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you Ty for taking care of Jamie," said his aunt as she got back in her car.

"Who was that?" asked Amy as she walked up to Ty. Ty turned around and smiled when he saw Amy. "It was my aunt." "What did she want?" "She actually came to apologize." "Seriously?" Ty nodded. "Wow." "You know I guess it's true that saying 'everything happens for a reason'. Everything that happened with Jamie led to his mom finally coming to her senses and my past led me to you." Amy smiled as Ty kissed her on the cheek. "What did you say to your aunt?" "I'll tell you later. Right now I have a date," said Ty as he watched Georgie walk out of the house. "Oh yeah. Sorry I overslept. Let me just change and we can go," said Amy. Ty smiled. "Actually I have a date with someone else." "Um excuse me? With who?" asked Amy. Ty pointed towards Georgie. "You snooze, you lose." Amy laughed. "Worst boyfriend ever." "Really? Cause I heard it just takes two minutes to fall in love with me." "She told you what I said?" "Yup." "Great," said Amy. Ty kissed Amy. "Thank you for standing up for me." "And your way of repaying me is by going on a date with someone else." Ty shrugged his shoulders as he walked towards his truck. "You had your chance." Amy laughed. "Have fun on your date." "I will." Ty opened the passenger door. "Come my lady," said Ty sarcastically to Georgie. "You guys are weird," said Georgie as she got into the truck.


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm nervous. Are you nervous?" asked Ty. Caleb laughed. "Why would I be nervous? You're the one proposing." "Right. I'm just nervous." "I know. You already said that." "Right." Ty took a breath. "Dude why are you so nervous?" "I don't know. What if she says no?" "Are you kidding me? I'd bet all my money on you two." "You're just sucking up cause you want to be the best man." "Wait. Who else is up for the position?" asked Caleb. Ty shook his head as he laughed.

"You sure you don't want anything Jamie? Lou made some lasagna," said Amy. "Oh well in that case, I'd love some," said Jamie with a smile. Amy laughed as she took a plate out of the cupboard. "How are you feeling?" asked Amy. "I'm doing better than before. I still have a long way to go though." Amy nodded as she placed the plate of lasagna in front of Jamie. "So I'm sure you and Ty are excited to have the trailer to yourself again," said Jamie. Amy smiled. "Actually I'm just happy to be able to go to Ty's trailer without all that tension." "Yeah. About that. I'm so sorry Amy. You didn't deserve that." "It's okay Jamie. I understand." Jamie smiled as he took a bite of his food. "Can I ask you something Amy?" "Sure," said Amy as she sat down across from Jamie. "My cousin is a juvenile delinquent who had a crazy childhood, and you are…well not that. How in the hell did you fall in love with him?" Amy laughed. "Because when I'm with Ty, I feel like I can do anything." Jamie smiled as he looked at his phone. "Speaking of Ty. Don't you have to go meet him or something…," said Jamie. Amy looked at the clock. "Oh yeah. I should get going. He wants me to meet him at the jumping course. He didn't give me a reason though. He was really weird about it." "Yeah. Weird. Are you gonna change?" asked Jamie. "No. Why?" "Nothing. You should go." "Okay," said Amy suspiciously.

"Do you know what you're going to say?" asked Caleb. Ty nodded. "Good. Cause she's here," said Caleb with a smile. Ty turned around and looked at Amy walking towards them. "You two are gonna be just fine," said Caleb. "How do you know?" "Because I've never seen anyone look at each other the way you and Amy do. That's all love my friend."

"Hey Caleb," said Amy as she walked up to them. "Hey Amy," responded Caleb. "What are you doing here?" asked Amy. "Oh. I was just helping Ty with something. But I'm gonna go," said Caleb. Caleb smiled as he looked at Amy. "What?" Caleb shook his head. "Nothing. See ya guys later," said Caleb as he walked away. "Well that was weird," said Amy. Ty took a breath as he looked at Amy lovingly. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" "Yeah. Do you wanna go for a walk?" asked Ty. "Sure."

"Do you know why this place is so special to us?" asked Ty as they walked. "Cause it's the first gift you ever gave me." "Well that and because it's where I fell in love with you. The first time I saw you jumping with Spartan. I knew how special you were." Ty took Amy's hand. "You know when I first came to Heartland my plan was to get in and get out. Of course my plan didn't include gaining a family, going to vet school, and falling in love with you." Amy smiled. "Hey, is that Spartan?" asked Amy. "Yeah," said Ty as he watched Amy walk over to her horse. "How did you get him over here without me noticing?" asked Amy as she pet Spartan. "I may have had a little help from Caleb and Jamie." "Is that why Jamie just randomly came over today?" Ty laughed. He smiled as he watched Amy with Spartan. "You saved that horse Amy and then you saved me too." Amy smiled. Ty took out the ring and got down on his knee. "Amy," said Ty softly. Amy turned around and looked at Ty. "Ty Borden," said Amy with shock. "Amy Fleming," responded Ty jokingly. "I love you. Will you marry me?" Amy smiled as tears began to form in her eyes. "Yes." In that moment Ty had never felt more liberated from his past and certain about his future.


	20. Chapter 20

Ty was sitting by the campfire drinking a beer. "Now this is real camping," said Jamie as he sat down next to Ty. Ty laughed as he threw Jamie a beer. Jamie opened the beer and took a sip. They sat in silence as they watched the sunset. "Dude you're starting college," said Ty breaking the silence. "Dude you're engaged." Ty smiled. "I know it's pretty crazy." "You know what's really crazy?" "What?" "The fact that you're gonna be Dr. Tyler James Borden." Ty laughed. "I definitely did not think my life was gonna end up like this," said Ty. "I don't think anyone did." "Jerk," said Ty. Jamie laughed as he drank his beer. "But you proved us all wrong." Ty smiled. "I couldn't have done it without Amy. She's honestly the best thing that ever happened to me, Jamie." Ty finished off the rest of his beer as they sat silently watching the fire. "Dude I'm in college." "Dude I'm engaged." They both laughed. "We're not kids anymore. Are we?" Ty shook his head. "No. But you'll always be my favorite cousin."

"Dude wake up," said Jamie. Ty rubbed his eyes as he slowly came to. "What's wrong?" asked Ty. "I heard something." Ty yawned. "It's probably just the wind hitting the tree branches." "I don't think so." "This is why I never took you real camping." "C'mon Ty. I really think there's something out there." "Go back to sleep Jamie," said Ty as he closed his eyes. "Fine. I'll go check it out myself." "Okay you do that." Jamie rolled his eyes as he took the flashlight and unzipped the tent.

"Ty! Wake up," whispered Jamie. "What?!" said Ty as he woke up startled. "There's a bear outside the tent." "Are you serious?" asked Ty groggily. Jamie nodded. "Did you leave the marshmallows out?" "Maybe…" "Jamie! I told you to bring them in. Food attracts the bears." "Sorry…what do we do?" asked Jamie with panic in his voice. Ty got out of the sleeping bag and put his shirt on. "Let me think." They both jumped when they heard a growl. "We don't really have time for that." "Okay. I have bear spray." "Where is it?" "I…the truck." "What?! Why would you leave it in the truck?" "Well I didn't think we would need it cause I didn't think my cousin was such an idiot!" "I was hungry!" "Whatever." "So this is how I die. Being mauled to death by a bear. At least our death will make it into the newspaper." "We're not gonna die Jamie." "Well unless your plan is to become the bear's late night snack. I don't see any way of getting to the truck." "Look if I'm quite enough then I can get to the bear spray without the bear noticing." "And what am I supposed to do?" asked Jamie. "Just stay here." "Okay." "Really? That's all," said Ty. "What? You told me to stay here," responded Jamie. "Yeah. But then you're supposed to say that there's no way you're gonna stay in here while I go out and risk my life." "Are you crazy? I'm not going out there with a freakin bear." "Never mind. Just stay here. But if the bear notices me then distract it while I run for the truck." Jamie nodded. Ty slowly unzipped the tent. "Wait," said Jamie. "What?" "Shouldn't you call Amy. Tell her you love her," said Jamie. "Why?" "Well you know… just in case." "We're gonna be fine Jamie. Just stick to the plan." Jamie nodded. "Good luck."

Ty quietly crept past the bear, trying his best to stay hidden, as he made his way to his truck. He had turned off his flashlight because he didn't want to bring attention to himself, so he was blindly trying to find his way. All of a sudden he felt himself trip over a branch. He landed with a loud thump on the ground. "Shit," whispered Ty to himself. He could hear the bear move trying to locate the source of the sound. Ty hoped the bear couldn't see him as he crawled over to hide behind a tree. He felt a sharp pain in his arm as he leaned against the tree. He was almost certain that it was broken. Ty felt his heart beating fast as he waited to see if the bear had figured out where he was. Ty jumped when he heard a loud noise come from the tent. He watched as the bear turned back around towards the tent. Ty knew that he had to get to the bear spray before the bear got to Jamie. He quickly ran towards his truck and tried to find the spray. "Come on," said Ty to himself as he looked through his vet bag. He looked over to see that the bear had gotten closer to the tent. "Finally," said Ty as he took the bear spray and ran. "Ty, hurry up. The bear's getting closer!" yelled Jamie. Ty ran faster as he got closer to the tent. "Jamie!" yelled Ty as he threw the can to him. He watched as Jamie sprayed the bear. "Come on Jamie!" yelled Ty as he motioned for him to run. They both ran back to Ty's truck and got in. "That was crazy," said Jamie. "Thanks for distracting the bear," said Ty. "Thanks for getting the bear spray," responded Jamie. Ty nodded as he felt the pain from his fall. "Are you okay?" "Yeah. You're gonna have to drive though. I think my arm's broken," said Ty as he handed Jamie the keys. "Ty, you're bleeding," said Jamie anxiously as he looked at the deep cut on Ty's forehead. "I know. We're gonna have to stop at the hospital on the way home," said Ty as he opened his dashboard to find the painkillers. Jamie nodded as he started the truck. "Hey we make a pretty good time. We should totally do that again," said Jamie with a smile. Ty shook his head. "Just shut up and drive Jamie."

Ty awoke as the truck went over a speed bump. "Be careful. This truck is important to me," said Ty. "Sorry. How are you feeling?" asked Jamie as he drove. "Better. Those painkillers knocked me out." "I know. You've been sleeping for a while." Ty yawned. "How far are we from the hospital?" "I think we're about half an hour from the hospital." Ty nodded. "Can I ask you something?" asked Jamie. "Shoot," responded Ty as he held the arm he assumed was broken. "How come you never told me about the letter?" "What are you talking about?" asked Ty pretending to act clueless. "I know about the letter Ty. My mom told me." "Oh. Well… I was going to tell you but then you ended up in the hospital. And I realized that telling you would just make things worse." Jamie nodded. "You know I've spent so much time hating you. For not being there for me. Every birthday. My graduation. I just wanted you there." "I know. And you have to know Jamie. If I had known that I would've been there. When I talked about leaving my past behind. I never meant you." Jamie nodded. "I know that now. I get why you didn't come back. I do. And you know what a part of me is glad you didn't." Jamie paused as he collected his thoughts. "Because you're so happy now. And after everything you've been through, you deserve that. And my mom is finally paying attention to me. And you and I are good. And for once in my life I'm not angry. And that feels so good, Ty." "I know that feeling," said Ty with a smile.

Jamie stopped the truck in front of the Heartland house. "Well at least it's just a fracture," said Jamie. "Yeah," said Ty as he looked at his blue cast. They both got out of the truck. "Who's that?" asked Jamie as he looked at a girl walking out of the barn with a horse. "I'm not sure. She must be a new client," said Ty. Jamie nodded. "I'll be in for dinner in a minute. I'm just gonna go see if she needs any help loading that horse." Ty smiled. "Okay." He watched as Jamie walked over to the client. "Hey you," said Amy. Ty turned to look at his love. "Hey," said Ty with a smile. Amy looked at Ty with concern. "What happened?" Amy ran over to Ty to see his wounds. "It's a long story. But it's just a fracture." "And your head?" "It's just a cut." "Why didn't you call me?" "I'm fine Amy." "You better be," said Amy. "I am. I promise," said Ty as he leaned in for a kiss. "Where's Jamie?" asked Amy after they parted. Ty pointed towards the barn. "The cowgirl and the rebel. Remind you of anyone?" Amy smiled as she watched Jamie and the girl talk. "Us." Ty nodded as he kissed Amy on the head. "Hey Jamie," said Amy as Jamie and the girl walked up to Ty and Amy. "Hey. Is it okay if Maya stays for dinner?" "Of course. Come on Maya," said Amy as she motioned for Maya to follow her into the house. Jamie and Ty watched as the girls went inside. Jamie looked at Ty. "What are you thinking?" Ty smiled. "Everything happens for a reason."

**The End.**


End file.
